The Wayward Son
by The Browncoat
Summary: Crossover with the Marvel Film Universe. What would happen if Voldemort was not destroyed on the night that he attacked the Potters, because Harry was kidnapped by the School and raised in California? He has to wait until his Sixteenth Birthday to escape, but what happens now? Especially when his family are still looking for him? Harry/Max. No Slash, No Bashing.
1. The Journey Begins

This is a three way crossover between Harry Potter, the Marvel Universe and Maximum Ride, although the main focus is on Harry Potter and the Maximum Ride Universe.

Also, even though this is set during _School's Out Forever _and will lead into _Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports _before going totally AU, I have changed things about a bit from the plot. In the present, Harry, Max, Iggy and Fang are sixteen. Dylan will not play a role in this universe and several other things will be changed as well, so you do not have to worry about spoilers for _Nevermore _if you haven't read it yet (and don't bother, I _really _hated it).

Also this will mostly be told in Harry's first person POV, but will have interludes in third person. If you don't like the first person, let me know – and I'll slowly ease it out of the story. But for now, this is the pilot. I have planned at least 40 chapters and know exactly where this story will go.

And yes, the main pairing is Max/Harry. But romance will not play a big role in this and it'll happen later in the fanfic. And there's no bashing in this fanfic, just to let you know.

This fic is unbeta'd, so there may be mistakes. Feel free to point them out.

**The Wayward Son**

_Harry Potter was kidnapped at a young age by the School, and sent to the branch in California as the first experiment with wizarding blood that the school ever had. When Max and the flock escape from the Itex in California around the time of _School's Out Forever_, Harry seizes his chance, and with Itex still reeling, he journeys across America, searching for clues about his purpose that will change him forever..._

**Chapter One: The Journey Begins**

"_It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." _~The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien

* * *

**THE PAST, GODRIC'S HOLLOW.**

_What could have happened here? _

Albus Dumbledore looked across at the wreckage of the Potter House, observing what had happened before his eyes in disbelief. He had allowed this to happen, the poor – innocent Potters... they did not deserve something like this to happen to their son, not – "HARRY!"

They had arrived, and the next few minutes would not be pretty. That was clearly Lily Potter's voice, recognisable by the loud shriek and the sobbing tears that came with it, as the red-haired woman ran towards the house distraught. "No, no, no, no!"

James Potter was crying as well, although he was doing his best not to display it as openly as his wife. But like her, he was running towards the wreckage. The house was burnt, and it looked like a large explosion had happened in the main household. Both Potters paid no heed to the fact that there was a Dark Mark above the house and nobody knew what dangers could still be lingering inside, but that didn't stop them from running to investigate their baby son.

"They shouldn't go charging in like that, he might have set traps," observed Moody, the watchdog, standing loyal at Dumbledore's side. "It's what happened with the McCrimmocks, you know. I lost three good men that way."

"It's a war," commented Dumbledore. "We always lose good men, and women. And children with unlimited potential."

"You... believe the boy is dead, then?"

"It appears to be that way," Dumbledore explained, noticing that the Potters were only starting to realise now that Harry was dead. "No child could have survived such a blast, not even a son of Lily and James."

* * *

But just around the corner, the evidence that Harry Potter was in fact, still alive, was held by the knowledge of four mutant beings, the result of an experiment between wolf and man, and two gifted scientists leaving the scene in a white van. The baby was being watched over by the female scientist, who was fully in belief of what she had just done was from the greater good. It was not often they had got their hands on a magical test subject in the past, and the blonde-haired woman who would later go on to become the Director of Itex looked down at the small, white-cloth covered child in anticipation of all the experiments that she would get to perform. She even thought of overseeing the boy grow up with Batchelder's latest experiments, the winged children...

And then dismissed the thought. The child would have to be monitored, cared for, raised and trained in a completely different environment. The thought of a magical teaming up with them when Batchelder's 'flock' would be taken outside into the world would be completely different. It would be interesting to see who was raised in better conditions thinking about it, and maybe one day – the woman thought, _'one day, if they survive for that long, we could see who the better fighter is. The magician or the mutant.'_

* * *

**THE PRESENT DAY, SOMEWHERE ABOVE THE INSTITUTE FOR HIGHER LIVING – NEW YORK, MIDNIGHT. **

My name is Harry Potter, subject Seventeen. Codenamed the Sorcerer, a title gifted to me not by choice, but by those who have been playing me on their strings for the past sixteen years of my life. You know them as scientists. I know them as sick and twisted evil maniacs that should be hunted down and wiped from the face of the Earth.

All that torture I have suffered at the hands of the scientists, the people who denied my parents and the people who have insured that I will never have a proper childhood, is in the past – however. This is what happens _now, _the present.

I have come to New York after breaking out of the Itex base in California. Having made my way across the United States of America by a combination of hitchhiking, stowing away on trains, and flying, I now find myself positioned over the skies of the building of the Institute of Higher Living.

I have come here to investigate the truth.

"We are above the drop zone," a man calls to me from the helicopter pilot seat. Like the others, he's enchanted – a spell that I have used to make them _think _that I am the President of the United States of America and that they will obey my every command. "Sir – I repeat, We are above the drop zone. I strongly advise you to put your parachute on _right _now!"

The window is open, and I get the full force of the wind thrust in my face. But I don't care, for I'm used to this – I've flown in stormclouds before, and trust me – I wouldn't recommend it. It's not a pleasant experience. I could have approached this inevitable trap from the ground or even from the sky in my wings – or from underground, like Maximum Ride did once – according to the gossip mill of the scientists monitoring me one morning.

But California was their HQ, and I believe – that with a large chunk of it having exploded, they won't be worrying about The Institute for a while. Which will give me enough time to enter the building, through the door that lead out onto the roof.

I turn to the pilot behind me, and say, "Ah, but you see Mr. Jones. I don't _need _a parachute."

And with that, I hurl myself from the helicopter, knowing it is stupid, knowing it is a trap – but I cannot help myself anyway.

And the best thing about a trap is to _always _approach it from a different angle.

In my case, that is from the air.

And it isn't long before my wings unfurl and I am in the sky again.

This is where I feel _really _alive. Up in the sky, there's nobody to stop me. There's a quote from an theme song of a television show that I found whilst I was in one of the motels that I spent a night in on the journey to New York – they went something like this:

_Take my love, take my land_

_Take me where I cannot stand_

_I don't care, I'm still free – _

_You can't take the sky from me,_

It was a pretty awesome TV show, needless to say. But that quote above really emphasises just how I feel when I'm airborne – I'm at _home_. More at home then I am on the ground. Like the lyrics said – the sky is the one thing that you cannot take from me.

I've got my wings spread out wide, and they are what makes me who I am. Without the wings, I would not be Harry Potter. Without the wings, I would be human. And _boring_. I've spent my whole life with these wings and I cannot remember a time without them, although the Director did inform me that I wasn't born with them at some point.

But the Director can go rot in hell. She's insane, and I hope to god I get to be there when she finally dies – it was only a shame that she wasn't around when I broke out of my cell, or else I would have shown her _why _I was kept behind bars. After fifteen years of hell at her command, I escaped. I took that chance, when Maximum Ride and her flock attacked the Californian-based HQ and destroyed it with a bomb. I have to thank them one day for that.

But for now, I have other objectives. As I approach the floor, I fold my wings inside and allow myself to freefall for seconds before landing on the rooftop in a rolling position, climbing to my feet.

I could see from the sky that no guard was on the surface, but I had to move quickly anyway, and silently. Somebody would have noticed the chopper by now and they would have noticed the main doors opening, even if I put a charm on my body to make it look as though I wasn't there.

I couldn't do the same for the helicopter, and the people at the Institute who spotted it would most likely twig, especially if they were informed of my escape from the California HQ – that it must be me, the magical mutant – coming for their organisation.

My suspicions are confirmed as soldiers burst out of the door, guns raised. One of them shouts, "Spread out, form a semi-circle around the door – it's invisible, and highly dangerous."

"How are we supposed to shoot at something that we can't see?"

"When it attacks one of you, we shoot near you."

They were willing to kill their own soldiers to bring me down. Well, I suppose I'd better make them fully aware that they cannot kill something that they cannot truly see. I whisper _Stupefy, _knocking out the leader with an accurate spell with a flash of red light from a distance taught to me by a master. A cruel master, but a master nonetheless.

I am moving before the red spell even hits its target, but the guards are trained well – for they start firing on me with their machine guns. I am only one person – they are seven. I am not a god of war.

I am; however, skilled in the night, and this night is the darkest. They will not hit me unless I do something stupid, or if they have heat-vision goggles.

Then the darkness is robbed.

But thankfully, they don't have them. However, there is only one way off now, and I don't want to risk any fighting drawing reinforcements. I can already hear the sound of choppers in the distance, and I can tell with my enhanced hearing that they are not friendly.

I need to move, for the odds are stacked against me and I do not want to return to California, or be transferred to the place that is apparently even worse, the Death Valley lab.

I cannot imagine what Maximum Ride and her flock must have gone through in there and I have endured fifteen years of torture in California.

Fifteen years, and I am sane. At least, I think I am. That is some achievement, but then – a madman would consider himself sane as well, unless he is truly mad.

And I am not truly mad.

I hear whispers, though. My enhanced hearing picks up the conversation of the men in the helicopters, and I can tell that they are activating the heat-sensors on their night-vision goggles. A bright light, illuminated from the chopper – is heading my way.

I must not stray into the path of the light, so I keep against the side of the mostly empty skyscrapers, hugging to the side with my wings open, having left the soldiers on the rooftops a long time ago.

New York City is known as the city that never sleeps, and even though some buildings are empty, some are not. I see the shocked faces of the people inside, and their reactions – when the helicopter catches me with its illuminating light briefly, and the gunmen open fire, smashing holes in the door windows. I wonder what the people inside must be thinking right now, as they scramble for their lives – for I am invisible.

They must be thing that the gunmen are aiming at them, and wondering what they've done to earn the wrath of these shadowy forces. As I see one man start bleeding, I decide that I've had enough.

I'd rather their guns focus on me than the civilians who have done nothing wrong, and are only there because their job forces them to be. I wonder if the soldiers are only there because their jobs are forcing them to be as well, but... there is a difference.

The civilians are not the ones trying to shoot me and harm innocents. The soldiers are. They wanted a target?

I will give them a target.

Deactivating the invisibility spell, I hear people scream as they spot for the first time the winged figure who has just appeared out of nowhere. As I fly past the Stark Industries building, I wonder briefly if Iron Man, Tony Stark is watching me.

Probably not. I remember something about him being in Monaco for the Grand Prix, on the news, and I am glad. This is my burden that I want to bear alone, and I do not wish any others to get involved.

* * *

**UNKNOWN LOCATION**

The old, grey haired man is alone – and he likes his that way. He knows exactly how his daughter is getting on, and it is time that he turns his attention to the other. Not a relative, but nonetheless important in the Great Game. The Long Game. His pawns have all been moved into place, and the middle game he – feels, is about to begin. He has not lost any of his pieces yet but thinks that he has captured a Knight, at least one.

Maybe, if he was being confident, he would call it game over already. Because he had Harry Potter, and Albus Dumbledore, the light lord, did not. As he watched become visible to the public eye, the old man thought, _'Fool – you're going to get yourself killed,_' whilst at the same time knowing that the boy would not die tonight.

He wouldn't let him. If Harry Potter died before his time, then the world that the man knew would collapse and burn around him.

Things had to remain the same to maintain the old order.

He had to interfere. Now was his time, his moment.

If the son of James Potter ended his life in New York City then the scientist could not bring himself to think of the consequences. His King would be ripped from the board in one swift move and he would have no Plan B. He was working on one, yes – although it involved his daughter.

"I'm coming up the elevator," the grey-haired scientist spoke into the comm. link to his Butler, a paid servant that had been very useful in helping him pull off his tasks that he needed to establish and maintain this secret base. "Ready the vehicles. We will take the helicopter to the mainland and then the car from there."

"But, _sir_. I thought the boy had wings. Wouldn't it be easier to just take the helicopter all the way?"

British Accent, of course. All Butlers had to have Posh, British Accents – even JARVIS, Tony Stark's famous AI had a British Accent and that wasn't even human. The man reached for his coat, took one last look at the screen, and Harry Potter, and said as he entered the lift, "There are two helicopters with five fully trained veterans on board the two helicopters who are fully equipped to deal with the boy's special abilities, Wilson. He is just a boy who three weeks ago was lying in a cage being tortured by one of my finest torturers, and has never been to New York City in his life. He will eventually tire, and make a mistake. And when he does, he will get shot. And fall – and I will be his salvation."

"Sir, hasn't it occurred to you that if he gets shot, and falls from that height, the boy will most certainly die?"

"His _gifts _will prevent death from such a height," replies the man, as he entered the lift. "Trust me, Wilson. This plan will work. Operation Fallen Angel will be progress as arranged."

* * *

**NEAR STARK TOWER, NEW YORK**

I can't keep this up for much longer, and I have no idea where I am going as I make a flyby past Stark Tower for what seems like the 20th time. These soldiers are damn persistent, I think.

But I know that even the slightest mistake now will cost me, and that mistake will be my last. The bullets fired from the chopper have sprayed the glass in the windows of the skyscraper that is currently on my left and its occupants are fleeing for their lives. With the floor clear, I realise that I might actually be able to get some cover behind the desks from the choppers, and instinctively, I head towards the building as fast as my wings can carry me.

Cameras are snapping in my direction and I can hear the sound of sirens below, no doubt police ones – as I make my way into the building. One bullet clips my left wing before I can fold it in and crouch behind cover, causing me to wince slightly. I brush it off, however.

This is when ropes start to be lowered down from the two helicopters that are surrounding me on the two sides of the building that boast shattered glass. Alarm sirens are wailing throughout it and downstairs I can already hear police officers, the NYPD making their way towards the thirtieth floor, the floor where I am currently on, sheltered behind a desk and outnumbered by at least twelve, well trained men, six coming from ahead, six coming from the right.

God knows how many NYPD Officers from below.

There is only one way out, as I am not going to hand myself back to Itex again. They would get me from Police Security as well, or I would be turned over to the government – or just simply shot as a freak, if I went downstairs.

"Freak, hands in the air! We don't want to kill you!"

Lie. But at least this man says as though he cares. Although that is probably not a lie in a way, for his superiors probably want the only magically powered human avian hybrid that to my knowledge in the world brought back to California, or even the Institute of Higher Living, in one piece.

My way out is quite simple, but painful. It will have to make it look as though I am dead, in order for me to escape. I use magic to create a smokescreen, blinding the soldiers visions as I, keeping low – crash through chairs and machinery towards the unsmashed window.

'_This is going to hurt', _I think, yelling out a cry to whatever God would answer, and crash through, legs first – the massive window with all my strength. Glass fractures around me and it draws my blood. I continue screaming; only it is not a cry of half-hearted enthusiasm. It is a cry of pain.

Panicking with the pavement coming closer and closer, I try to divert my path – I try to unfurl my wings, but the pain is too much to bear. _Nononononono! _

I can't help thinking that this is it, this is the end.

* * *

**UNKNOWN LOCATION**

Of course, this is a nightmare, and I wake up seconds after I hit the floor. But what makes this different to normal nightmares is that this one was true, and this one _actually _happened to me. I don't know how long I have been unconscious for, but I believe I shall know that soon, especially as my new captor (is he a member of Itex? He is a scientist, I know that), or rescuer – is opening the door.

Covering my body with a cloth as the old man enters the bedroom, I ask, "Who the hell are you?"

"My name," he replies, "Is Jeb Batchelder. And you are safe here, Harry Potter. Nobody can harm you here."

_**Preview of Chapter 2, "Not That Sort of School"**_: No sooner than Batchelder has introduced Harry to his new location, the oldest Potter child is tasked with a new mission to infiltrate another Itex-connected lab in New York City. But to do that, he must first endure the task of surviving day-to-day-life in the building above it – College!

So, tell me what you think – was it any good? Will you read more? What was wrong with it?


	2. Not That Sort of School

I'm not American, as you've probably guessed by now, and am using Wikipedia to aid me with any research. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong about anything, because we all know that _anyone _can edit Wikipedia. Also, this chapter is populated with OCs, but most of them (in fact, nearly all of them), won't play a major role in this story. The action will be focused primarily on Harry, the flock and of course the Marvel characters who will play a big role in the later chapters. And once you've read this, remember to review!

**The Wayward Son Chapter 2: Not That Sort of School**

"_No one is free, even the birds are chained to the sky." _~Bob Dylan

* * *

**UNDER THE STATUE OF LIBERTY, THE NEXT MORNING**

My first and instant reaction is to hurl a spell, a wandless form of magic and a burst of shining energy at the stranger, sending him back out of the room that he just entered, but not knocking him unconscious. I try to move, but find bandages wrapped around my body and find myself in pain.

"There's still some bits of glass in you, I'm afraid," said the old man, wheezing as he climbed to his feet. "And you'll get nowhere by attacking me, I am the only person that knows the security codes out of this building. You cannot get out without my authorisation."

"Oh, that's handy," I reply with a smirk, and sensing Batchelder's confusion, I continue, "Because I don't have to look far to find out whose mind I want to read."

I know I shouldn't have told him that, but I can't resist goading him, just to provoke some kind of emotion. But I can't even get a response from him at that, and then I see why, and I am the one left dumbfounded. "That's impossible... That's just impossible. I can't read your mind."

"It's not impossible," Batchelder informs me, stepping backwards. "Just unlikely. Now, Harry-"

"How do you know my name?"

"I know a lot of things about you," he explains. "I used to work for Itex. But ever since I found out about what they were doing with innocent children such as yourself, I've been working against them. I seized control of one of their abandoned bases underneath the Statue of Liberty. Everything that has been done since then, I have done it to undermine them. Including grabbing you from right under their noses."

"How'd you know where I was?" It was certainly an incredible story, of a renegade whitecoat striking out from hidden bases against the forces of Itex, but was it one that I believed? Was it one that I had the luxury to believe?

"Everybody knew where you were as soon as you became visible again," Jeb replies, and I can tell he is annoyed at me. "Congratulations, Harry – you'll make the front page news possibly _all over the entire world_."

"I wasn't think-"

"Of course you weren't thinking. Whilst I understand that your intention may have been admirable, to divert the fire away from the civilians, you exposed yourself to the world!"

"What was I supposed to do, let them die? They were innocent, normal _human _beings," I shout at the old man, not caring for who might hear us. We are underground, like he said – and my hearing isn't picking up any signs of activity – apart from that of automatic machines – outside the door. "I will not allow the soldiers to take their lives rather than mine. _Never_. I don't care if the whole world knows what I look like."

"You will need a disguise then, for your next mission," Jeb replies, reluctantly giving in.

"What – wait? Next Mission? What're you smoking, old man?" I ask, before continuing. "I'm not going anywhere in this shape."

"You'll be healed in a day, you know that," Batchelder says, trying to be kind. "Your next mission – should you choose to accept it, is quite simple. There is a High School in New York City that has unknowingly been built on top of a branch of Itex. Students go missing from that School every so often and I have tracked their location down to underneath the School itself, a secret underground complex with links to the Institute of Higher Living."

"No," I don't hesitate in replying. "I'm sorry, I can't. I don't want to risk it right now – I made a mistake, thinking that the bomb explosion in California might have called all of their leading members there leaving the Institute unguarded. I was wrong. I'm not going back, and I need to move. Out of the city. Somewhere rural, out of the way. Maybe in a few years."

"And are you willing to let innocent teenagers suffer what you have suffered? Think about it, Harry. Due to cover-ups, blackmail and bribery – the branch has been taking teenagers from that School for a _reason_. Blackdown is one of the most prestigious High Schools in the area for a reason. They only accept the smartest, most gifted children. Perfect for experiments."

I sigh, and I know that it is a battle that I cannot win, especially as I have already declared that I would rather sacrifice myself than let anybody innocent die where I could have. "Very well. When do I start?"

"Excellent. It seems appealing to your inner consciousness has actually worked," Jeb says in a light hearted manner. "And congratulations on your new name, by the way. You are now Scott Beckett, a sixteen year old eleventh grade student at Blackdown High School. You come from a privileged background, hailing from a wealthy family, and have successfully passed with the highest marks or near to the highest marks in almost every class."

I nod, but ask, "Do I really have to be _Scott _Beckett? Couldn't you have picked a more imaginative name?"

"I can change it to call you Samantha if you want," said Jeb, with a smile, as we leave the bedroom.

"Oh god no," I reply. "Stick with Scott."

"That's what I thought," he replied. "Besides, the identification cards are already in place. I put them together while you were sleeping."

"You bastard, you knew I'd say yes, wouldn't you?"

"Not many people draw helicopter fire away from innocent civilians and then turn down a request to stop children from being kidnapped," Jeb states, as I marvel our new location. This secret base under the Statue of Liberty is like computer-geek heaven, packed to the brim with every sort of computers available but all designed in a sleek, uncluttered and futuristic fashion. The latest models of everything is here, and this must have cost a fortune. I know what I'm up against if I try to infiltrate this building – quite simply, the richest company in the world, tied in joint spot with Stark Industries.

I was grateful that Itex weren't trying to risk collaborating with the man responsible for the Iron Man suit, and I was grateful that Tony Stark was smart enough to deny any offer from their company if they had decided to make one. After a moments of silence between me and Jeb, I asked, almost repeating the same question earlier but not exactly, "So where do we start?"

* * *

**A MONTH LATER, BLACKDOWN HIGH SCHOOL, DAY**

At any other High School in America, a sixteen year old turning up in a Ferrari would be a very rare occasion and often make you out to be the richest of the rich. However, at Blackdown High School, there seemed to be Ferraris parked in the nearest carpark, along with Lamborghinis and any other supercar including some that I couldn't name. I would have wanted to walk of course, but after Jeb had made sure that I'd learnt how to drive, he figured that it would be best to fit in with the crowd especially as it appeared that nobody turned up on foot to Blackdown High anymore.

The High School itself was your typical American High School often seen in the All-American Hollywood films. As I climbed out of my car, almost glad about the fact that I was not paying any money for it at all (as it had come out of an offshore Itex account compromised by Jeb – I had purposely picked one of the most expensive cars available), I found myself instantly met with somebody shouting in my direction. "Hey, hey – newbie!"

I turn towards the face that the noise is coming from, and I see a dark skinned guy, wearing a jumper with the logo of the soccer team New York Red Bulls, approach me. "Welcome to Blackdown High, I'm Jacob Kent."

"H- Scott Beckett," I almost make the mistake of revealing my real name. Batchelder has warned me about the fact that Itex may have spies among the students. "So, is this place as good as everybody says it is?"

"Oh, they don't only accept the most prestigious students in New York for a random reason, newbie," replies Jacob, with a grin, and I can tell he's teasing me. "I was asked to show you around, c'mon."

I hung back initially, heeding Jeb's warning. _"Anybody can be an Itex informant at this school, Harry. You can trust nobody. Rule number one – never let your personal feelings get in the way of an investigation."_

But I'd never had a friend before. I could do with one before I turned an adult. And besides, I was always anti-authoritarian, particularly since the only adult figures in my life were white-coated scientists making me perform constant tests designed to see how much an 'enhanced magical body' could cope with the pressure.

"Hey, what're you waiting for? I don't bite, come on – Liz is going to be waiting for me."

"Liz?" I ask, as I eventually bite the bullet and head towards him. Following him into the crowd, I realise that my goal to find a friend may have already been accomplished.

"Oh, nobody special. Just a girl," Jacob brushes off. "And probably my best friend, come to think of it."

I smiled at that comment, as we entered the pair of revolving doors.

* * *

**ITEX HQ, STATUE OF LIBERTY – DAY**

Jeb Batchelder sat once more at his computer desk, his ever loyal Butler Wilson next to him. Wilson was the first to speak, breaking the silence. "So, Master Batchelder. Is the boy aware that he is heading into a trap?"

"Of course not," Jeb says. "What I find amazing is that he actually believed my whole story almost without question. Then again, it wasn't as if he had a choice. Have the Blackdown branch been contacted yet?"

"Yes. They agree with your plan – they will lure the boy in. Agents at the school are already making their way to befriend the boy."

"Let's see if he listens to my warnings," Jeb says after a moment's silence. "I shall continue to monitor his activities. Anything that goes wrong we shall know about it."

* * *

**BLACKDOWN HIGH SCHOOL – DAY  
**

The first female person my age who I had the pleasure of talking to was as it turned out, not Jacob's best friend, but a brown haired girl named Rebecca. She asked me a question as I entered the high school, about to abandoned what I need to ditch in my locker.

"Uh, hey – you're Scott, right?"

"Does everybody at this school know my name?" I raise an eyebrow at her, and can't help but notice that she is attractive. '_Since when have I been able to tell whether a girl is attractive or not_? _Rebecca's the first girl that I've actually met in person that wasn't a mutant on the verge of death!' _"Or are you here to hunt me down?"

"Very funny," Rebecca replies with a smirk. "Hey, Jake. You can go and flirt with Liz some more, I need to tell Scott how to get to his lesson."

Jacob splutters for several seconds, before regaining his cool. "One, don't call me Jake – it's _Jacob_. Two – me and Liz are _friends, _there's nothing between us. And three, I was told to show Scott around."

Despite myself, I can't help but raise alarm bells and think that one of them is an Itex spy, and the other a genuine article. But which one? Who do I put my trust in when I don't know any of them? I decide to make a choice, and ditch them both. I know I probably shouldn't but I'm already late. So whilst they're engaged in a conversation, I duck into the middle of a crowd of students passing by, and out the other side, and head towards the room marked F12, which is my first lesson. _History_.

I am so preoccupied in giving my new-not-quite friends the slip, that I forget to read their minds to see the truth. In fact, I am so anxiously looking behind my back at the two arguing students, that I don't even notice where I'm going until I inevitably walk into someone.

"Hey, what the hell, man?"

I turn my attention to the guy in front of me, and it appears that it's just my luck that I have walked into the biggest guy in the school. "Uh, sorry," I reply hastily. "I wasn't-"

"You weren't what?" the teenager asks, and I can tell that he isn't friendly. I'm tempted to use magic on him, but there is no way that I can pull of something here without noticing other than the simple mind read. I scan his mind, nothing too in depth in case he notices, but enough to learn that his name is Matt Carter and he's currently dating Elizabeth Thorn, who happens to be Jacob's best friend. Talk about clichéd love triangle.

Yes, I know all about clichés. Already. I would call myself the King of Clichés, but that isn't really such a glamorous title if you think about it. So scratch that. I am _certainly not _the King of Clichés. "I wasn't paying attention as to where I was going," I reply, in calm, confident tone. "Now, if you'll let me go past, I can go my way and you can go your way. No trouble."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Matt asks, daring to grab me and push me up against the locker. The hallway goes silent, and I don't even try to struggle. I could break this guy's arm – heck, I could kill this guy with my brain, but I don't think that would make a good impression. Plus, if I acted the whimpering, loser type then people wouldn't suspect me of poking my noses into places.

"Scott Beckett," I reply, with a forced smile. I have to act as though I don't know his name, as this is my first day and it would look a bit suspicious if I did, so I ask, "Who're you?"

And just as I say that name, I know where I've heard the surname _Carter _before. It was the surname of one of the soldiers that was hunting me down, and now I'm truly certain that he is at least one informant. Even though Carter may be a fairly common name, there's still a lot of coincidences. People paying the soldier Carter would be paying him a lot of money to kill innocents and put his life at risk, and he could want to make sure that his son's properly educated. _Could _being the important word.

"You must be new here, right?" Matt Carter asks, and I am thankful that I dyed my hair blond, if only for a brief period of whilst I was on this mission, as if I turned up to College with no changes whatsoever, then I would almost certainly be ousted as a mutant and forced to leave straight away. This school has a strict 'No Mutant' policy, which is kind of ironic, considering what it is a breeding ground for. "I'll let you off this one time, punk. But if I see you getting on the wrong side of me again, then there'll be trouble."

"Trouble, right. Good. I mean, trouble bad, but it's nice that we can agree on something. And I am new here – first day."

"Good luck making friends, then," chortles Matt, shoving me to the middle of the floor, sending the contents of my bag sprawling across the corridor. I could have reacted, but I don't. I don't want to draw attention to myself.

Nobody approaches me as they make their way past, and even Jacob and Rebecca are no longer here. As I gather up my things, a few glance at me with disdain, until one guy approaches me and I can tell this one's different from the rest. If only because he actually had the courage to help me whilst I was down. "Hey," he says, helping me pick up the last bag. "I'm Peter Parker, Welcome to Blackdown High – uh, I get the feeling that Matt didn't make the best first impression, right?"

I nod hastily, and he laughs. "Yeah, he does that to people. His father works as a bodyguard for Itex, and they give their employers loads of money – that's why he can get away with so much stuff. There's three main backgrounds you want to come from in this place really, and I don't fall under any of them. Your family's got to be an employee of Itex, Stark Industries or Oscorp."

"Oscorp?" I haven't heard of that one before.

"It's the Dark Horse, but it's still a strong company," shrugs Peter. "Anyway, we'd best get moving. What lesson have you got first?"

"History."

**Preview of Chapter 3 **_**"First Class" **_Harry finds himself becoming friends with Peter Parker over the course of the day, along with Gwen Stacey. But what happens when he digs deeper into the mystery of Itex lurking beneath the school, and is he the only person with powers at Blackdown High?

Yeah, I decided to include Peter Parker largely on a whim. I know his family aren't rich but I'm going to say that he got some sort of grant or something to attend. And I'm basing Peter largely on the _Amazing Spiderman, _but I haven't seen it (although I know roughly what happens), so whether that'll factor into things will depend on whether I get around to watching it or not. Whilst by movie release it took place after _The Avengers _film, I'm going to say that if I do factor in the reboot, I'll do it in the next few chapters which is before _The Avengers _film will take place.

And Peter and Harry are the same age in this as well in this for now. If anyone has anymore questions, let me know.


	3. The Battle in the Labyrinth

I have decided to go with the story arc of _The Amazing Spiderman _for the next few chapters, obviously with a few changes as Harry's going to be focused on his own agenda whilst the film develops, but obviously I'll be intertwining certain threads. Don't expect everything to remain the same, but I haven't seen the film – so have had to use a script found here for it: scripts/amazing_ . I do not own any parts you see from the Amazing Spiderman script, so please – don't sue. Most of the attention in this is going to be focused on Harry anyway (and this is a massively important chapter for the 16-year-old).

And I have changed the title of this chapter largely because this chapter took a completely different direction to what I had planned. Also, Harry's part of this chapter was largely inspired by the Batman graphic novel _The Court of Owls. _Go read it, if you like Batman at all. Part of it's even the quote for this chapter.

**The Wayward Son Chapter 3: The Battle in the Labyrinth **

"_Beware the court of owls that watches all the time, ruling Gotham from a shadow perch, behind granite and lime. They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed, speak not a whispered word of them or they'll send the talon for your head_." ~The Nursery Rhyme detailing the myth of the Court of Owls, _Batman: The Court of Owls, _written by Scott Snyder (DC New 52 Volume 1)

* * *

**NOW - BLACKDOWN HIGH SCHOOL – DAY**

The gadget that I am using to track a ventilation shaft for the underground tunnel network has the Itex logo on it, and I am not comfortable using it. As I make my way through the school corridor, I am relieved to see that it is abandoned. Glancing for security cameras, I find there is none in this particular area, and rip the grating off the entrance to the shaft with ease, and quickly make my way in, having constructed silencing spells to prevent anyone from hearing the noise that I have just made.

I'm not used to crawling, but it's good to practice once in a while. And it isn't long before I come across a gap in the ventilation shafts, and speak into the earpiece, "Bingo. Sorcerer to Scientist, I have visual. Must thirty whitecoats at the lab."

"Good. Keep going," Jeb replies seconds later. I obey, and soon find myself back in the enclosed ventilation shafts again, only this time – I'm standing above a grate. "Now remove the grate, and climb down."

I obey, using magic once again to silence my moves and make myself invisible, dropping down behind the only man in the room, for it is a separate one to the main hallway, and use my magic to knock him unconscious. And then, suddenly, I find myself thrown off the floor as everything explodes around me.

* * *

**THEN – BLACKDOWN HIGH SCHOOL – DAY  
**

I haven't yet chosen to investigate the underground beneath the School, as I want to actually attend lessons, get to understand the feel of things. Peter also has History, and it is good news. Rebecca has it as well, and she ends up taking the other seat next to me, after the painful introduction process as makes it well known to the class that I'm the new kid on the block. Most of the class have the unfortunate of knowing me as the person who got absolutely trounced by Matt Carter in front of the entire school. So naturally, they stay away from me. The weak always side with the strong.

Peter appears to be an exception. He's kind, and friendly, and smart. I know nothing about History as it was not one of the subjects that I was forced to study by my superiors at California. At Hell. The lesson is mostly about the Watergate Scandal, and to my luck, I find that Jeb is providing me with any information that I have via a magically camouflaged earpiece, and even Peter is surprised by how much I know. If only he knew the truth.

After the lesson finishes, I follow Peter and Rebecca out of the classroom. Rebecca is the first one to catch my attention, and says, "Hey, I didn't think you'd know this much about Watergate, Scott – were you covering this at your old school?"

It takes a brief moment for me to remember that she's talking to me, and I reply hastily, "Uh, yeah – the Watergate class was one of my last lessons before moving."

"Fair enough," replies Rebecca with a shrug. "Anyway, what lesson have you got now?"

"Nothing, I'm on a free period until the end of the day," I reply, acting as though it's bad luck, but in reality, it's good luck. Batchelder arranged it all incognito, allowing me for plenty of time to sneak into the underbelly of the school and do whatever I could to shut it down or damage it in a way that wouldn't destroy the foundations of the school above. If I don't manage to destroy it then the least I can do is gather any information that they have. "So I guess I'll probably find something to do."

"That sucks," Rebecca says, and I notice that Peter is being oddly silent. Could he be a spy? Could Rebecca? The most likely option was Matt Carter, but nothing could be ruled out here.

"Tell me about it," I lie. "Have you got classes all day?"

"A break from one twenty til two twenty, but yeah, all day," Peter decides to speak up. "Sorry."

"Jacob's probably free longer than – nah, he'll be playing basketball," Rebecca corrects herself. "I guess I'd better see you around then – hey, are you going to the nightclub later tonight?"

"What nightclub?" I ask, momentarily taken aback.

"You know, _the _nightclub," she says, just as I get filled in by Jeb.

"She's talking about the Underworld, a popular nightclub frequented by rich teenagers. You can go there once you've finished the mission if you want," Jeb says. "My treat."

I've never been to a nightclub before, so I respond with the affirmative, "The Underworld, right? Sure, I'll go. Peter, you coming?"

Rebecca laughs. "Peter? Go to the Underworld?"

Peter looks embarrassed, saying, "I'm going to the Genetics Exhibition at the ESU, and after that I'm going home – sorry."

I see Matt making his way through the crowd with Liz on his arm and a boy so bland his real name could be #Thug #1' and I wouldn't notice. So naturally, I decide to make my leave. "Anyway, catch you two later. You wouldn't mind distracting Carter for me?"

"Sure," Peter shrugs, like it was no big deal, as I make my way away from the two. He turns towards the direction of the bully, and says, "Hey Carter."

"Well, if it isn't Peter Parker. Flash spoken to you yet today?"

"I thought the Flash was a fictional superhero?"

He looks a bit confused, but I don't stick around to hear the rest of the conversation and depart away from the crowd.

* * *

**NOW – BLACKDOWN HIGH SCHOOL – DAY  
**

I gasp for air as I find myself in a new location altogether and recognise my surroundings almost immediately. It is an exact replica of the gladiatorial combat arena found at the lab in California, and I realise now that they must have known I was coming somehow. There was no response from Jeb, and that's when I jump to the conclusion that the whole thing was an elaborate trap. Batchelder must have be working with Itex, buy _why_ would he rescue me from soldiers only to throw me into the literal lion's den? A test? Was Batchelder trying to overthrow his rivals in a bid to seize power over Itex? Was he truly what he said he was, and Itex had somehow sense my presences?

A hologram flickers on in front of me, and I see a man standing there who I do not know the name of. However, he quickly introduces himself, and when he does speak – he speaks as though he is taunting me, and he has every right to. "Good morning, little Sorcerer, welcome to the Gladiatorial Arena! I am Leonid Tryvan, head of the research group here at Blackdown and I am honoured to have an actual _wizard _fight in my arena. Of course, we will have to up the stakes due to your magical abilities, but the point is – ah, hell – there's no point. Survival is the only thing that matters in the arena, and don't think of teleporting away, little sorcerer."

I can't even if I want to. That was one skill that the people in Itex never taught me – apparition. "Now, _Harry Potter, _oh it is such an honour, I must repeat that again. The Boy who survived an attack by Lord Voldemort himself! Oh, but we both know that the attack didn't actually happen, did it? Just your house got blown up."

"Lord Voldemort?" I look confused. I was never told anything about any Lord. I never remembered any Lord attacking me.

"Oh, but don't you know?" Tryvan asked, with a broader grin. "I thought the Director had told you about your origin, Harry Potter. But evidently, I am mistaken. Anyway, how's this for a deal? If you survive the gladiatorial arena, which nobody has ever done before, by the way, I will tell you _everything _about your past, where you came from, who your family is - all free of charge. Scout's honour! But you will have to survive the arena, first. Think of it as your first class, Harry. My first class."

I brace myself as several doors around the wreckage-covered, circular arena open, revealing several things that I recognise as Erasers. I have encountered them before. But they have superior numbers, and I realise that I am out of my depth unless I resort to magic.

I will gladly resort to magic, and raise my voice, pointing my hand at the oncoming pack of wolf men, "_Bombarda_!"

For added dramatic effect, of course and the spell always just feels more _right _if I say it. Like it flows easier. And I believe that the most powerful spells will often have the biggest impact.

I shout again, only this time aimed at the one Eraser who survived the blast, and this time, it is an unforgivable. A Killing Curse, and I know that now, more than any time else, is a time to use it. Calmly raising my hand at the oncoming attacker, the "Avada Kedavra!" spell brings him down, and I know that he's never going to get up again.

My consciousness is starting to hate myself already for using that spell, and I can't help but thinking that if the circumstances were different, then maybe he wouldn't have attacked me. But the collars around the Erasers necks are most likely electrified, and after a quick mind-read of one who was knocked against a wall and unable to move from the Bombarda spell, I learn the truth. If they do not attack me, then the energy will kill them.

This is why I shouldn't have used that curse. I know they are Erasers, monsters – but I can't help thinking that not all of them may be carbon copies of the other. **(A/N: Read: Ari in SWAOES) **Before the doorways close, I run towards one of them, having to slide under to make it out of the arena, finding myself in a corridor, narrow enough so that I am unable to open my wings and take to the sky.

I guess there is only one out, especially with the door closing behind me, and that way out is _forward_. I will follow the maze, like I have done so many times before in California, and I will find a way out.

I make it two turnings before a voice calls in my direction from behind, an ominous, inhuman voice, "_Do you know what they call this labyrinth? This maze, Harry Potter."_

I spin around in the sound of the voice, and find nothing.

"_They call it the labyrinth of horrors," _said the voice, from another direction, and I turn around again, searching for the source but knowing that I will find one. "_And I AM ITS CREATOR!"_

I turn once more in the sound of the voice, and see a black-robed, body-armoured, sword wielding assassin appear out of the darkness as though it wasn't there at all, and lunge at me with his weapon. I have no time to react, and it goes right through my stomach, missing my heart by inches.

I yell in pain and collapse to the floor, coughing up blood as my back is pierced by an unknown foe, and I realise that I have not lasted very long in the labyrinth of horrors at all.

And that is my last thought before I collapse in a heap at the architect's feet, lying wounded in a pool of blood that it takes me a few moments to realise is my own.

"_You have failed this labyrinth."  
_

* * *

**NOW – EMPIRE STATE UNIVERSITY SCIENCE DEPARTMENT **

Standing before a huge machine labelled a Cyclotron, which can be seen through a protective glass encasing tube, are two scientists, Dr. Curt Connors and Dr. Michael Morbius. The crowd of spectators, not including Peter Parker, are all amazed at the spectacle presented to them. Morbius is the first one to speak. "Good afternoon, I'm Doctor Michael Morbius. The research of myself, and my colleague Dr. Curtis Connors, have been dealing with the effects of various forms of radiation on the human genome. In recent years, we've seen the effects caused by such exposures. We all know of the famous Dr. Reed Richards and his band of superhuman adventures."

As the lecture continued, Parker enters the lab, and standing at the back of the crowd, it is clear that the boy has trouble seeing. Noticing Dr. Warren standing near the edge of the crowd, he calls out, "Hey, Dr. Warren!"

Warren turns towards Peter, smiling at the boy and beckoning him to come towards him. Peter makes his way slowly forward in the crowd, before capturing a glimpse of a certain someone, somebody who he had encountered earlier at Blackdown. _Gwen Stacey. _It is proved to be his mistake, for he tumbles over, losing his position from where he his standing. Falling into another member of the crowd, he can't help but create a domino effect, and one by one – people start to fall over.

The last link in the chain leans to a nearby wall in support, reaching out to it – and mistakenly hitting a switch, kicking off the laboratory's ventilation system with a roar, the crowd now completely disrupted with the catastrophe. Peter is of course the first to rise, looking deeply embarrassed, waving apologetically to the crowd. He then catches Gwen, and says, stammering slightly when he notices her giggling, "Hey – nice to see you again..."

* * *

**NOW – LABRYINTH OF HORRORS **

I am not dead, not yet. I have not failed and as long as I am alive I will never fail. That was a test, a warning. If they were going for the kill then the Architect would have gone for the heart. This is to show how easily they can beat me, how easily they can trick me.

I will not let myself be fooled again, I think. You are probably wondering how I am able to move and breath this quickly after being stabbed through the chest, and that is through a combination of healing spells that are active at all times on my body, replenished every twenty-four hours, and the fact that my body has been enhanced to survive near-fatal experiences, which makes me very resilient when combined with the whole magicals-are-unaffected-by-any-diseases, so I am _very _hard to kill.

But my belief in my victory is shattered to the core, and now, for the first time, I feel that I will not make it out alive. It is then, as I climb to my feet, brushing blood off my chest as though it is nothing at all, that I see something in the distance. At the end of the corridor, and I recognise them instantly, even though I have not seen them since I was a child.

_Mother. Father. _Their faces are as clear as daylight, and my memories come flooding back to me. Of the good times, the year of hope, the deep breath before the plunge. When I actually had a family. The red-haired Lily Evans and the brown-haired, glasses wearing, James Potter. I speak the words aloud this time, daring to believe the impossible. "Mother, Father?"

And for the first time I remember.

* * *

**THEN – GODRIC'S HOLLOW – NIGHT  
**

It is All Hallow's Eve, and I am a child and alone in the House of Potter, with nobody apart from my twin brother Jimmy, who is upstairs playing with his toys. I am brave enough to venture downstairs, towards the front door. Mother mentioned something about always going for walks on All Hallow's Eve, and as my current guardian is asleep currently and not to be disturbed, I feel brave enough to make my way outside.

Walking through the cottage and out onto the road, slowly. I know I should be doing this with my family but they are meeting the Order and I cannot miss this chance, after all, All Hallow's Eve only happens once every year.

I push open the garden gate and my feet feel the tarmacked road for the first time. I have learnt to walk by this point, but I am still small enough to not be able to see over the gate. I step forward, onto the road, closing the gate behind me, taking a look back at the house.

A noise can be heard in the distance, the noise of an engine.

And this is the last time I will see Godric's Hollow for the rest of my life.

* * *

**NOW – THE LABRYINTH OF HORRORS **

"Harry," one of them speaks, and my attention is drawn instantly to my mother. "We've been waiting for you, my boy. We've been down here for so long... so, so _long_. I... can feel you. You are real!"

"Of course I'm real, mother, why wouldn't I be?" I ask, glancing up at her, and for the first time taking into account her eyes. I step back, in shock, away from them, in growing horror at the sight that they're... _blind_? "Mother... father? Can you see me?"

"We can't," James Potter's voice, and he is in pain and agony even as he says it. "We're blind, Harry."

"Did they get my brother too?" I remember a twin brother from the flashbacks. Not a lot of him, obviously, as it was only a year, but there was still a brother there. It is sad that however much I try to remember, I can't recall his name.

"No, thank god," Lily said, a smile on her face, and tears began to fall from my eyes. And then my world explodes when the parents who I am hugging start to crumble away to dust before my eyes, and I realise that this is a _trick. _A TRICK.

I am mad, well and truly. "Alright, Architect? If you wanted me mad, you got me. Come out and fight me, you coward. Come out and fight me, and let it be known that I am not afraid."

I quickly remember to cast more healing spells over myself, and establish a shielding charm. "_I am not afraid_."

Almost before I finish the sentence, the Architect responds in a cold and calculating voice that sends shivers down my spine. "_Say that again, little Sorcerer. It sounded as though you were not afraid of me."  
_

I spin around, sweat dripping from my face as I realise that I am actually becoming more afraid. What if the next strike from the assassin pierced me through the heart? But I have to do this, and I have to survive. All that matters now is escaping or defeating the Labyrinth of Horrors. _"But nobody is not afraid of me. Angels of Death run from my presence and I am this world's greatest competition. So, you wanted me, Harry Potter? Then here... I AM!"_

* * *

**NOW - EMPIRE STATE UNIVERSITY SCIENCE DEPARTMENT**

The exhibition itself is coming to a close, and Dr. Warren is leading Curt Connors over to meet Peter Parker, who is waiting for him. "Dr. Connors, I'd like you to meet my most promising student, Peter Parker-"

The two shake hands, and Connors decides to speak, "Well, aside from your talent for show-stealing, I'd take a recommendation from Miles Warren to be a good thing."

Smiling, shocked, Peter can only respond, "Thank you, sir. I figure a big entrance makes a memorable impression... I'm a huge admirer of your work, Dr. Connors..."

At this point, Peter is starting to get nervous. His eyes dart nervously around the room, and he catches Gwen, just about to leave. "Uh, Doctors, could you excuse me for a moment?"

Peter, determined to talk to her, scurries away from the scientist and his teacher before he can respond. Unknowingly, a Spider, one that was in the ventilation shafts and managed to become affected by the radioactive energy, is continuing its descent above Peter. Peter holds out his hand towards Gwen, stammering, "He...y."

And at that second, the spider drops into the boy's arm, sharply biting him, sending a shock through his body. In pain, Peter exclaims, "OW!"

And he believes that his seemingly lost his chances with Gwen Stacey, a girl that was probably out of his league anyway. However, she, looking confused, asks, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," he responds, annoyed with himself as the spider falls, unnoticed from Peter's hand, and scrambles away. Peter does not know how much that spider bite will change his life in the future days to come. And nor does he know that his new friend, Scott Beckett – is currently fighting for his life beneath the High School that he has no plans on returning to. And neither does he know Scott's true name, Harry Potter.

**To Be Continued in Chapter 4 – Death by Design** (Tentative Title)**: **_Harry is trapped in the Labyrinth of Horrors, with two choices, both of which are deemed impossible. Defeat the Architect, or escape. Nobody has ever managed any of these things before, and how will he escape? And Peter starts to develop his superpowers... _


	4. Death By Design

Of course, the quote presented at the beginning of this chapter is my own. But I wanted to tie this somehow to the Greek Myth but I couldn't find any suitable quotes so I decided to use my own.

**The Wayward Son Chapter 4: Death By Design**

"_You know of the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minatour. Of how he valiantly entered the labyrinth of the foul beast and became the first recorded person to slay him, having access to rope in order to make his way back out of the maze. Just so you are aware, Harry Potter... you will have no rope in this maze." _A scientist briefing Harry (Age 5) on the first time that he enters a labyrinth specially designed to test the speed and agility of a mutant.

* * *

**NOW – THE LABRYINTH OF HORRORS – DAY**

I brace myself for the incoming attack by putting up a shield spell, augmented to stop blades as I now know what I'm fighting, around my body, and as predicted, the knife aimed for the back of my throat is deflected without bruising my body. Turning around, I catch a brief sight of the golden armoured creature for the first time and immediately thrust myself into the attack, firing several spells in quick succession.

To his credit, the Architect avoids them all, and vanishes seconds later in the blink of an eye leading me to wonder the shadows of the labyrinth once more. And then, it occurs to me. A spell to give me light, and show me the way. I cast it without the use of a wand in case the Architect is familiar with the spell and knows exactly where I will head, allowing him to set a trap which I do not want to spring.

That particular spell is _Point Me, _and I wonder why I didn't think of it before. It has got me out of mazes before, and it will get me out of mazes again. I am instantly told to head left at the upcoming corridor, and I know despite myself that I have no idea as to where this spell is leading me. All I instructed it to do was to _Point Me – Safety, _so – why not? What had I got to lose?

My life, for one. My sanity for another.

I took a left, and then another right, following the spell hoping that the Architect wouldn't realise where I was going and that I had figured his maze out yet. And it wasn't long before I found the answer.

* * *

**NOW – PARKER HOME – EVENING **

Sweating, and growing increasingly ill from the spider bite, Peter Parker stumbles into the house, wiping his forehead. Catching Aunt May stepping casually away from the kitchen, she quickens her pace upon seeing how ill Peter is looking. "Peter! What' Wrong?"

Peter reluctantly allows himself to be embraced by his Aunt, who continues, "You've got a fever!"

"I got some kind of bug bite," explains Peter, recalling the spider that he saw dead on the floor earlier – one that had fallen from his hand.

"What happened?" Peter's Uncle, Ben – emerges from the basement with a questioning look on his face. Walking Peter towards the stairs, Aunt May realises just how ill he is.

"I think we can add bug bites to Peter's list of allergies, Hon. Grab the Epinephrine."

Later, in Peter's room, he is now wearing different clothing and lies in bed, with his Aunt and Uncle standing affectionately by his side. Removing a thermometer from Peter's mouth, Aunt May exclaims, "Well, you might have the case of the flu, I'm going to get some Tylenol."

Turning away from Peter and climbing towards the door, it isn't long before she stops – and turns back – "Ben, make sure he stays still. If the fever doesn't go down in a few hours we'll have to take him to a hospital."

Hearing the panicked voice of Aunt May, Uncle Ben replies, "Okay dear."

That's when Peter's phone rings. Ben tries to prevent Peter from picking it up, but the boy picks it up anyway. "Uh, I'm kinda busy right now."

The voice on the line is Jacob. "Hey, Pete – something's wrong. Scott didn't show up for lesson. Oh, and you sound like crap, by the way."

"Thank you for noticing, Jacob," Peter replies. "I'm ill. I'll talk to you later, alright? Go have fun at your nightclub."

"Hey, man – get better soon," Jacob says kindly, as a way of farewell, putting the phone down.

Turning back to his Uncle, Peter goes – "Uncle Ben, if you really love me – just let me die."

Uncle Ben nods. "Is that the Delirium talking there, Pete?"

* * *

**NOW – THE LABRYINTH OF HORRORS – EVENING**

I look across the path that I had just come across, and everything seemed to scream _trap_. There was a small, but fast flowing river that ran in one side and out the other, and the only way across the raging torrent seemed to be the a small, narrow pass up against the wall. The river itself was too wide for me to jump across, and I didn't want to get my wings out and fly across for one reason.

There were holes in the side of the wall, perfectly positioned for snipers. If I tried to go over the narrow bridge, then most likely, I would be shot multiple times judging by the bullets. Kneeling down, I noticed that the river had a dramatic drop as soon as it left the corridor, and I also couldn't help noticing that it was covered by only a grate, and was wide enough for me to get through. But first, a test – a test to confirm my suspicions that snipers were really waiting for me.

I conjure a football, for no other reason than because I feel like it, and levitate it across the gap in the river, where it promptly got shredded to smithereens by surely automated weapons fire, and winced. No matter what spells I put up to protect myself they wouldn't be powerful enough to stop that massive array of force.

There was only one thing for it. I had to through the river into the abyss below, unless of course I wanted to turn back and try a new path. Something that I really didn't want to do, as I was starting to get hungry, tired, and thirsty. Not wasting any more time, I conjure several footballs of a similar size, and hurl them towards their fate.

Seconds later, when the bullets are firing, I dive – placing charms on myself as I hit the water, and blasting the grate open with my wand as I hurtle through the gap, and I almost gasp in surprise as I see what is waiting for me the other side.

A massive waterfall.

I'm not kidding, a massive waterfall lying in underground New York City. There must be four levels to this school then, more than I anticipated – the school, the lab, the labyrinth, and then this. The waterfall. I'm too late to prevent myself from being hurled off the edges of the cliff as it happens almost immediately. If was a human at this point, I'd be screwed.

But I am not a human.

There is a reason why I'm 96% normal. Two percent of that is my magical blood – yes, that's all that makes me magical, just a mere _two percent _of my body according to the scientists who were analysing me, and the remaining two percent is what I have just unfurled, as I fly through the cave, avoiding the stalactites that hand down from the ceiling and not going low enough to hit the water.

I wonder where the cave will take me.

I can just pray that it isn't all an elaborate trap, because this is the way that my _Point Me _spell is heading. The cave that I am currently situated in I could remain in forever, loose myself in its wondrous design – were it not for the fact that this is most likely a trap and Itex probably know where I am anyway.

I decide to apparate, just to test – to see if it works in the cave, and I am relieved that it does. I apparate away from the cave with no intention of returning whilst there is still an Itex base above it. I never want to go back to that school or that hellhole beneath it again, I think. I program my next destination in my head.

A street.

Any street in New York, I plot at random. I don't care where, I just want out.

* * *

**A STREET, MANHATTAN – NIGHT**

I arrive in the street and am relieved to find that it is empty of activity. But what I am not relieved to see is a sniper, standing on a rooftop, waiting for me. _How the hell did he know where I am? _

I try to move, try to get to cover – try to apparate away, but it's too late. My spells are down as well. The best thing I can do is move so it isn't a direct headshot, and the sniper manages to clip my wing. And before he can reload and shoot again, I am running towards the nearest house.

I do not care which one and I do not care who the inhabitants are. I use magic to unlock the door, which is of course – when the sniper shoots me again. In the back.

I collapse to the floor, wounded, my last thought before I fall unconscious being this: '_How did the sniper know my location? Who is the sniper?'_

I do not remain awake long enough to see the figure of Ben Parker, whose name I am unfamiliar with yet, who also happens to be Peter Parker's Uncle, hear the door open and come to investigate the now unconscious mutant teenager lying on his floor.

* * *

**Chapter 5 Preview – A Good Samaritan (Tentative Title): **_Harry has found himself unconscious in Peter Parker's house, but how will the Parker family treat their new arrival and what will the consequences be? And how will Harry change Spiderman's origin story forever? _

Yep, another thing that I did not plan for to happen because of the Parkers. Apologies for the shortness and the long delay, I've been busy. Chapters should resume their normal length after this (3k-ish words), and should hopefully have a quicker update time. Let me know what you think.

Also, for fans of the TV show _Arrow, _would you be interested in reading an HP-inspired _Arrow _story where Harry, having been proved innocent and freed from Azkaban, adopts the alternate identity of Green Arrow, and goes on to not only hunt Death Eaters, but also the people who have betrayed him and corrupted the wizarding world?


	5. The Good Samaritan

Apologies for the long wait, but I was having writers block and my free time has been nonexistent at the moment. Also, apologies if I get the characters of Ben and May wrong – I'm not a big Spiderman comics reader nor movie watcher. (The only _Spiderman _TPB that I've read is _The Avenging Spiderman Vol. 1, _and I haven't got around to watching _The Amazing Spiderman _yet).

Yeah, this chapter might not be the full 3k words but it still I think is one of the most important ones so far. And next time round, we get to meet Max! But enough with the spoilers, here's Chapter 5: _The Good Samaritan. _

**The Wayward Son Chapter 5: The Good Samaritan**

_The__first question which the priest and the Levite asked was:_ _"If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But... the Good Samaritan reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?" _~Martin Luther King Jr.

* * *

**PETER PARKER'S HOUSE **

Peter Parker is of course, shocked – when his Uncle comes into his room and asks

him if he knows a teenager who has just dropped unconscious on their doorstep. "Did you get his name?" asks Peter, still weakened by the bite.

"No," Ben replies with a sad face. "But he's bleeding –He's been shot. We don't know who he is. No ID. May's giving him a look over now."

"Surely it might be a good idea to call the police?" Aunt May asked, appearing at the door.

"We can keep him here for now," explains Ben with a smile. "For all we know, he might be some kind of vigilante, doing good in the community."

"Or, he might be a serial killer," added Peter.

"And that as well," Ben replies. "But we'll heal him, and then... if he tries to kill us, we'll call the police."

* * *

My eyes flicker open, and I'm in pain. I'm used to this pain however –I've been shot before and by more than one bullet. Wincing, my eyes blur as I open them and it isn't long before they are focused on two elderly people, who are in the same room as me. I try to scramble back, shocked – but cannot because of the pain and the fact that they have me on a bed.

They are actually caring for me? I have never been cared for before.

"Uh..." I say weakly, "Hi."

"Well, we discovered something about you," the woman says, kindly. "You're British."

"I thought... the accent had worn off after all these years," I say.

"Apparently not," the man says. "Now son, we're only here to help. Peter told me you were from school."

I flinch at the word _school, _and it takes me a moment to realise that they actually mean Blackdown, not – oh, Blackdown – what a complete failure that mission was. Never trust a whitecoat, even a reformed one. Never Ever. "Yeah... my name's Harry."

Well, that's my cover blown already. Stupid, stupid. I shouldn't be telling these people my real name. Their reaction shows when they look at each other, holding a curious look of eye contact.

"Would you care to tell us why the fake name?"

"Sorry, I can't. It's too dangerous for you."

"Just what kind of work are you involved in, sweetheart?" asks the woman. "And I'm May Parker. This is Ben, my husband."

"Parker..." I breathe, recalling the surname from somewhere. _Peter. _Oh great. This couldn't be a coincidence, couldn't it? Out of all the streets in the Big Apple, I had to land on; it had to be the one that played host to Peter Parker, one of my first friends ever, and... "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"We're keen listeners, son," Ben replies. "And it's not as if you're going to be moving anywhere anytime soon. And, heck – we're New Yorkers. We're used to the extraordinary. First Iron Man, and the Hulk..."

"Yeah," I say. I don't know why, but I've got a feeling I can trust these people. I decide to leave out the part that I'm a wizard, for I think that that the whole 'escaped from an evil corporation' backstory might be enough to convince them for now. I don't know what the Hulk is, but judging by the sound of it, or him – I don't want to run into whatever it is any time soon. "It's a long story. Are you sure you don't want Peter here for this?"

"So it turns out my new friend that I make at Blackdown happens to be shot and bleeding out in front of my door, and my Aunt and Uncle are kind enough to take him in," Peter says suddenly, appearing at the door.

"Hey, Pete," I say, weakly, and notice that he doesn't look very well. "Looks like you've been in the wars as well."

"Yeah, I was about to say the same thing about you," he says, as his Aunt looks at him.

"Peter," she says. "You should be in bed."

"I thought I'd come to see how my friend was getting on," says Peter with a smile. "And it appears he has an interesting story to tell."

"And it appears you've been eavesdropping," I say with a snort. "Anyway. Yeah, my story's interesting, but I think it's easier if I show you rather than tell you."

I deactivated the glamour charm on my face, revealing my messy black hair and my scar for the first time. If they had been paying attention to the news, they would surely recognise me for what I am – the mutant.

This could either go one of two ways, but thankfully – it didn't go the way where they would call the police or turn violent. It went the peaceful way, and I shall be eternally grateful for Peter Parker and his family for taking me in for the rest of my life.

"Now... that was not what I was expecting," admits Peter, truthfully, being the first to speak as May and Ben draw shocked breaths. "Of course all the weird stuff happens to me. First a Spider bite, and now..."

"A winged mutant gets shot on your doorstep," I reply with a smile, and he nods. "Worst Day Ever, right?"

"Tell me about it," he says, but I can tell he's joking. If only Peter knew then what devastation I would bring just by being in this household and his family, he would probably have kicked me out there and then. But he stood by me. "Aunt May... Uncle Ben, are you guys okay with this?"

"Of course we are," says Ben. "Any friend of Peter's is a friend of ours."

"Thanks," I smile. "I would show you my wings, but I kind of have a war wound. Although, my body can actually heal faster than normal humans due to genetic engineering, so I should be fine in a couple of days."

"Genetic engineering? You say it like it is a curse."

"It is if the people who administrated the wings to you stole you from your parents home at birth and trained you to be one of their finest killing machines," I explain.

The room was so silent that you could hear a pin drop. "And," I added, not yet done. "It takes away your only shot at living a normal life because even if you know you have escaped from... from _hell, _you know they will never stop hunting you down. When the only reason I went to Blackdown betrayed me and left me in the underground lab beneath the school trapped in a maze to die. And when you escape, only to get shot and land in the home of some family who would be better off without having a mutant birdkid interfering in their lives. Yes, I think it's safe to say that genetic engineering is a curse."

"If it helps, I'm sorry," Peter says, with a sad smile. "But... how is that legal? A Underground lab beneath Blackdown? How can that be there without any of us noticing?"

"Ever wondered why the best and brightest of Blackdown are always mysteriously granted work placements at Itex and 'graduate early' never to be seen again?" I ask, and then point at Peter. "Chances are, with the genius that you are – it wouldn't have taken them long to get their hands on you as well."

"My god. If what you say is true, we should tell the police," Ben says, making a motion towards the door.

"Who are they going to believe?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. "A multi-million dollar company able to pull off assassinations left and right and hire the best lawyers in the world against us? Even if I show the Police my wings, they still won't do anything about it and I'll end up in a zoo. Or worse. Mutants are getting persecuted, and there's talk in the Senate about bringing in a new anti-mutant bill. Whilst I may be different to the normal mutant, I certainly am still – according to the Government, a mutant, and therefore dangerous."

"We're trying to help you, boy." protests Ben, with a sad smile, saying _boy _not in the way that a teacher uses to tell of a student, but in the way that a father comforts their son. Could it be that the Parkers had already taken me in as their family? "But if you'd rather not go to the police, then we can keep you here for a while. Obviously, you understand that we won't be able to hide you forever."

I nodded. "I didn't expect you to," I say. "Just until I recover, and then I'm gone. I'll find some way of paying you back any money that I end up owing you."

Suddenly, I stopped short, causing everybody else to look at me. "What's wrong, Hon?" May asked, raising an eyebrow, but then she notices it as well. Footsteps, on the floor above.

"The people upstairs are very noisy," I comment, breaking the silence in the room.

"There aren't any people upstairs," Peter replies seconds later, gulping.

I groan, and say, "I'm sorry for putting you in so much danger. I should've known that they'd come for me, I'm too valuable to have any sense of freedom. Whatever you do... don't go upstairs. In fact, just _run. _Do you have anybody you can go to for help?"

Peter's voice leaps to the first person that comes to mind. "Gwen Stacey. Someone I know from school."

"Take your family and run there, then-" I say, with a smile. "I'll hold them off."

"But you can barely move!" protests Ben. "And Pete's ill as well, we'll never make it. I'll distract them. If I know what to expect, that is."

"Basically, imagine what genetically engineered Werewolves would look like," I say. "They're call them Erasers – because they hunt people down, and... _Erase _them. You are not putting a stranger's life before your own, _Ben Parker_. If anybody's making a sacrifice, then it'll be me. But for now, we need to move."

I groaned, hauling myself to my feet. It took me a few moments to turn stable enough to walk, but ended up leading Peter, Ben and May Parker out of the door. However, before I could turn back – I discovered that Ben was holding something in his hand, and had remained further backwards than the others.

"No!" Peter cried out, recognising what his Uncle was about to do, but could not get closer for he was already out on the street. I was closer, and tried to move towards him – but couldn't.

He was already locking the door, sealing himself in with the Erasers. The last words that I heard from Ben Parker remain haunting in my head long after this incident. "_Stay safe, look after my family for me."_

And then he was gone.

* * *

As Ben locks the door, he can already hear the sound of the wolves behind him as they make their way down the stairs, having searched the upstairs of the house. He recognises the fact that they are more than just wolves, but they are not quite _werewolves. _As Harry described them, they were... _Erasers._

And they were going to erase him.

"Where is _Harry Potter_?" one of them snarls in an inhuman voice. "You are hiding someone that is keeping the truth from you. Tell me the truth, old man – _tell me where _Harry Potter is and I will let you live, and you can see your wife and nephew again. Tell me now... _Ben Parker_."

"How do you know so much about me?" he asks, buying for time, stalling. He wants to give May, Peter and Harry as much time as he can. "And... if you know my name, then I should know yours."

"My name is of no consequence to you," the wolf that is not a wolf snarls, and then prepares to jump towards Ben Parker. The Old Man prepares himself for the end. "Because pain will be the last thing that you know."

* * *

**NEW YORK – A BACK ALLEY  
**

"He's gone, and it's all your fault!" Peter shouts. I knew he would jump to this conclusion, I knew they all would. We are currently in a back alley, not too far from the Parker's house. _I came to his house, and therefore he naturally assumes that I brought them here. _

He is not wrong. Without me, Ben Parker would still be alive. With my enhanced hearing, I instantly recognise the sounds of the people that murdered his Uncle. "We can fight later, we need to go _now_," I say, sharply. "May, is there a way – May?"

I turn around to where the old woman was standing, only to find that she is no longer there. _No... _Taking in a deep breath, I see that she has taken the opportunity to rest nearby, already tired from the running – but the bad news was that there was a black truck already parked next to her.

And then I hear a voice behind me, and turn, and with growing dread, recognise that voice. It belongs to Jeb Batchelder. And he is not alone.

"You bastard," I swear at him, and prepare to ready myself – to protect Peter, despite the fact that we are outnumbered and we are both already wounded. "What was the point in sending me into a trap if you had me right where you wanted in the first place?"

"To test your abilities," Jeb says with a sad smile. "And you succeeded in every test that we created for you. Peter will come as an added benefit; we were after all, looking to recruit you rather soon."

He turns his attention to Peter, who's crying now. He dares to ask, "What do you want with me? Why did you kill my Uncle? And where's my Aunt?"

"Your Aunt is fine for now," says Batchelder. "But... your Uncle was killed because it was necessary. I am so terribly sorry, Peter Parker. And you have no choice now, but to come with us."

"Where... where are we going?" Peter asks, reluctantly accepting – that with a growing amount of Erasers that just arrived, that there will be no way out of this one for him. I have already surrendered, and with a sigh – I realise, here we go again. Back to California, with an innocent teenager who should never have gotten involved. And a Good Samaritan dead.

"You may have heard of the general location," Jeb Batchelder says with a smile, before adding, "It is Death Valley."

And then, I hear a voice in my head. An actual voice, and know that I am starting to go crazy because it is not my own. And it is short, cold and emotionless. I wonder briefly if Peter is hearing it as well. "_Harry James Potter_," it says, stating the obvious. "_It is time to sleep. Close your eyes, and let the world fade away. Sleep is much needed, and sleep will help you ease your guilt."_

"After all,"

it adds. "_Without you, Ben Parker would still be alive."_

With those words, I promptly black out, surrendering myself to the sudden darkness that has overcome me. I am captured again, and I wonder if I will ever be lucky enough to make it out twice.

**CHAPTER 6 WAYWARD SON PREVIEW: **_**Death Valley, USA**__. _(Tentative Title) _Harry and Peter find themselves waking up in_ _a locked room in the Death Valley lab. But what happens when Maximum Ride is locked in the room with her, who was prevented from fleeing with her flock as the whitecoats wanted to move Max into the same room as Harry and Peter before their escape? And can Peter come to terms with the fact that not only his powers are starting to develop, but also, he might never see civilization again?_


	6. Death Valley, USA

**THE WAYWARD SON CHAPTER 6: DEATH VALLEY, USA  
**

My eyes flicker open, and I find myself in a cage. Trapped behind bars like an animal, and I know in that second that I am nothing more than an experiment to be played with and tested with. It is Peter Parker who I feel sorry for here, and as I look to the left and the right to see if he is in the same room as me, I find myself sadly disappointed.

Peter Parker is not in the same room. But that does not mean I am alone. Across the room, sitting in a similar cage, is a girl. Blonde haired, and alone. Across the room from me, it is she that has the courage to speak first. "So... can you talk?"

"No, I can't," I decide to try the diplomatic approach. "Of course I can talk."

She seems alarmed, and I wonder why. It takes me a moment to realise who this girl is, and I almost recoil when I recognise her face. It is _Maximum Ride. _The _Maximum Ride, _an inspiration to all mutants held hostage by Itex at any point in their lives. I resist the urge to suddenly go into all out-fanboy mode, and to keep it quiet. But Maximum Ride... captured? "And you're a Brit, aren't you? I can tell by the accent."

"Oh, well that was Jolly good, old chap," I put on my best mockery of a British Accent which earns a giggle from her, before switching back to normal Harry-speak, and say, "I'm Harry. Harry Potter."

"Max," she tells me what I already know. "You just had to let yourself get captured, didn't you?"

"Well actually, it wasn't really my fault," I retort. "There was this creepy scientist, a normal human school, a labyrinth, I got stabbed once, and then I got my only friend's Uncle killed and him and his Aunt captured by Itex because I showed up at his house. Why was it so important that I got captured?"

"Because I had an escape plan worked out for me and my flock," explains Max, and I form a small _O _with my mouth_. _The Flock are always there in any talk about the legend that is Maximum Ride, the weird-named Fang, Angel, Iggy, Gasman and Nudge. That would mean that they'd have to be here as well, right? Because the great Maximum Ride _never _goes anywhere without her flock, according to the rumours. But the moment I look on Max's face, I know they are more than just rumours.

Her life has been as hard as mine and potentially harder, and although she is young – she has the experience of someone twice her age. "I had Angel act as a double agent when we got captured," she continues, not explaining who Angel is because I think she is smart enough to know that I know her identity. "Because she was the youngest. She had to be safe, so she had to cooperate. We were going to put our plan into action when we were moved to the Yard. But then... I got a message from Ari, one of my friends here. He told me that I was being moved to meet another mutant."

I gulp, realising that if I had not been captured, then she wouldn't have had to endure this hardship. Once again, there are too many things that are my fault, and there is no way that I can correct them all from inside this cage. Max continues though, before I can reply, "I quickly send my thoughts to Angel, who can read minds – who transfers them to Fang. I tell him to go through with the plan anyway, get them out of there. I _think _they listened."

I lean back in the cage, and promptly hit my head against the bars on the roof, breaking all tension in the room from that final statement. It isn't long before I comment, "Blasted things – I should have remembered their shortened height when I was at the California complex."

"You were there as well?" Max asks, with a raised eyebrow. "I mean, I grew up here... but California? Have you been there all your life?"

"Pretty much," I reply. "Only escaped thanks to you and your flock blowing it up. Got captured though once I put my faith in a whitecoat who said he was a renegade, only the bastard was lying through his teeth."

"This bastard wouldn't be Jeb Batchelder, would it?" Max asks, with a raised eyebrow.

"How'd you guess? Did he screw your life up as well?"

"Actually, he was the one that busted me out of here in the first place," she explains. "So not quite a screw-up, but then of course, he betrays us again and starts working for the School."

"The School?"

"It's what we call this place," she says. "It's where I was taught, and grew up in after all. And the place that I most wanted to get away from."

"Tell me about it," I reply. "I briefly went to a normal school in New York," I say. "Blackdown High. My only experience of a normal life."

"I'm sorry," she says, sympathetically. She's been free for longer than I have. But I know now that nobody is free in our line of work.

"You wouldn't happen to see a certain Peter Parker anywhere, would you?" I ask, suddenly. "He's my friend and all – they brought him in with me."

"No, I haven't," she replies. "But if they have any new arrivals then we'll meet them tomorrow. Ari told me that-"

"Does Ari tell you everything?"

"Yeah, he's my insider source of information," Max replies. "And before you ask, there's nothing between us. He's more like a kid brother. If there was anyone... Never mind. Forget that I said anything."

"Forgetting," I said, abruptly, but before I can say any more, the door slides open, and in walks a boy who is not Peter Parker, but presumably Max's Ari. The kid brother that is not a kid brother.

"Hey, Max," is the first thing he says – and I recognise that voice almost instantly, and connect the dots. _Ari Batchelder. _I notice that he doesn't address me directly.

But I do. "Ari Batchelder," I say, and his attention has turned to me. "You picked a bad time to walk in here."

"I take it you two know each other?" Max asks, jumping to conclusions almost immediately. "But – Harry – it's not what you think. Ari's _changed_."

I don't listen to her. There's no way an Eraser can change and I'm not believing anyone who says otherwise. Using magic that I have been waiting to use for a moment like this, the cage doors blast open, smashing into Ari and catching him by surprise, blasting him back across the room towards Max in her cage as I hurl myself free.

Alarm sirens start ringing almost instantly, and I try to apparate away, only to be denied. _Anti-Apparition Wards. _Ari leaps back into action, thrusting the barriers aside, and I don't give him a second chance to react, attacking him. I normally have a rule that says think first, fight later.

Not with Ari Batchelder. We have a shared history together and the only way he can respond is by...

Holding his arms out wide as if accepting defeat? Bearing his neck to me? I'm not a vampire – why would he – _oh. _I see the numbers that have appeared on his neck, and I recoil in shock. _Expiration Date. _Ari Batchelder has an _Expiration Date. _"If you're going to kill me then you might as well get it over with," he says. "I'm dying, Potter. If you kill me now you'll only decrease the suffering. It's why I'm helping Max. I've... switched sides, if you will."

I hear footsteps from down the hall, and swear as I recognise the footsteps of guards approaching. Guns being loaded. They are aiming to _kill_.

Here we go again.

"FREEZE!" one of them shouts as they enter the hallway of the room. I raise up my hands in defeat, a mock surrender as they level their weapons at me and Ari. I recognise the same armour from New York. These are highly trained, professionals. And it does not take long before they open fire, and-

_My eyes flicker open and I briefly wonder if I am in some kind of afterlife, before finding myself crashing back down to reality for I am lying strapped to a diagonal-titled chair, my head held in place by some weird construct and needles already poked into my arm._

_Scientist all around me are wearing masks to cover their faces, as if I am contagious. I don't recognise any of them but I hear Jeb Batchelder's voice. The Deceiver. If there is an Architect then there is no reason why there cannot be a Deceiver as well. "It's waking up, put it back under."_

Those are the last words that I hear before I am unconscious again. How long will it be until-

-I awake in a surrounding that is all too familiar to me, but the people occupying it are different. It is not Maximum Ride that is caged in front of me, wounded, scarred and _changed_. It is Peter Parker, the boy whose life I have ruined. "Peter?" I dare to ask, my voice low.

I expect him to say something along the lines _It's Your Fault They're Dead, _and how I've ruined his life, but he doesn't. Incredibly, he responds with the affirmative. "Yes?"

"It's me. Sc- Harry."

"Hey," he says. "Glad you decided to drop in."

I look up for the first time, and see why he said those words, and realise what we are in right now. The room seems to have some kind of holographic field that changes into becoming an abandoned tropical island in the blink of an eye. Abandoned, apart from two people.

And maybe a third, for I see another cage a few yards further out away from me on this threatening new landscape, and know that it is _Maximum Ride_. "Max? Are you alright?"

"'m fine," she responds, and her mouth is bloody and I can tell that she is hiding something from me, but I do not think it is my responsibility to ask further.

"Who's he?" she asks, referring to Peter.

"Peter Parker," I explain, gesturing to Peter more than Max. "Meet Maximum Ride, Maximum Ride – meet Peter Parker."

Suddenly, the cages vanish, leaving us alone. But there is something coming in the background, and I can hear it with my ears and it isn't long before I can see it with my eyes. _Fire. _Most likely a simulation, but if this is a test, I am going to make damn sure that I succeed it. With Max and Peter alongside me. I grab both teenagers' hands, just in case they aren't thinking of running and that the quicker that they die in the simulation, the quicker they will be spared from their pain and suffering. "_Now, _RUN for your life!"

THE END OF CHAPTER 6

**WAYWARD SON CHAPTER 7 Preview: "**_**There Can Only Be One"**_

_Trapped on an abandoned island in a simulation by Itex, Max, Peter and Harry must work together in order to survive in a land where anything can be thrown at them. But what happens when they receive new orders from their captors? Whoever is the last person standing, gets to be freed from the captivity of the school? And what happens when they learn that this may just be more than a simulation? _

Sorry about the length of this chapter guys, it's just that a) I prefer writing short chapters, b) You get quicker updates, and c) I thought this would be a nice ending.


End file.
